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The last couple of months in a calendar year are in general quite an enjoyable period of time for watch collectors of all sort, for this is the time when most of the major auction houses would be staging their season finale watch auctions, bringing to the market rare and collectible pieces. Christie's, being one of the handful of traditional auction powerhouses, is certainly not going to run short of amazing timepieces to go under the hammer at this time of the year.

With their "Important Watches Including NAUTILUS 40 Part III" auction - to be held on 28 November 2016 here in Hong Kong - around the corner, we did a little catalog flipping and pondered over the lots and picked 6 lots from 6 manufacturers which are, hopefully, less predictable. By doing so we wish to show you exactly how diverse a watch auction usually is, and how it's not always (just) about vintage Rolex Subs and (or) Patek perpetual calendars, for instance. Don't get me wrong, these are great. Nonetheless there are other gems that deserve some love, too. So let's get right down to it.

Three reasons why we've wanted to recommend this VC from circa 2000. Firstly, the textured salmon dial is sight to behold and that leads us to the second point: the platinum case. For some reason, a salmon dial, which is rare enough in its own right on any wristwatch, always yields an amazing visual ensemble with a white metal case, like one made in platinum. The combination of the two hues exudes warmth, subtlety and, concurrently, strikingness. It also helps that the watch is fitted with arguably the king amongst complication-duos: the perpetual calendar and the chronograph. All under a restrained 38mm case. Estimate is at a very reasonable HKD240,000 - 320,000.

The ​La Chaux-de-Fonds-based watchmaker Girard Perregaux is a true haute horlogerie house in the truest sense, with more than 200 years of heritage under its belt. According to the lot essay of our recommendation here, Mr. Constant Girard-Perregaux, who gave his name to the brand, "singled out those elements ignored by his contemporaries: the structure of the movement and the shape of its parts. In his hands, the movement was no longer just the technical part of the watch, but an integral part of the design".That is absolutely the case here. Lot 2767 features a semi-skeletonised dial that exposes the exquisitely finished watch parts - the bridges, gear wheels and others - which, in a concerted effort, produces incredible depth of view into the movement from the front. Oh did I also mention it also carries the lovely little complication called the minute repeater? As if that's not enough goodies to be had in one watch, it has a regulator dial, meaning the hour, minute and second hands all run on separate plane. Pretty cool, right? The estimate for this enchanting 37mm (we just love smaller watch cases, sorry) GP is at a relatively accessible HKD480,000 - 640,000 for a wristwatch of this caliber.

Lot 2639: An IWC Portuguese Minute Repeater in White Gold

Another minute repeater featured here, the IWC Portuguese Minute Repeater embodies a radically different aesthetic compared to the GP we've just talked about. The key here is concealment and understatedness, as opposed to visual exposure. There's almost no telling that this watch is any different from its less complicated siblings in the Portugese family, if not for the minute repeater pusher at 9 o'clock. And that's what makes this one so appealing. It retains everything you've lusted over on a Portugese: legibility, elegance, a strong sense of presence etc. The grey brushed dial-white gold case combo is of course, a much welcomed icing on the cake. The estimate for this 43mm (normal for a Portugese; you can read about it here) beauty is HKD180,000 (come on, really?) - 280,000.

Lot 2839: A. Lange & Söhne Tourbillon PLM

Remember that super-hard-to-make mechanism that stands to improve a watch's accuracy called fusée-and-chain? We certainly do. And since we're on this subject, let's consider this: the first ever wristwatch with a fusée-and-chain is made by, guess who? None other than the always brilliant A. Lange & Söhne, the Saxony-based manufacture that introduced the Tourbillon Pour le Mérite (PLM) back in 1994 in its inaugural collection, in what has become the greatest revival of a watch brand in the history of horology. And that, is exactly the watch you're looking at right now. Before it came along, there's no such thing as a wristwatch with fusée-and-chain, period. If that's not enough to impress you, how about a tourbillon suspended between two diamond end stones? And Lange's trademark finishing? And the fact that this was the most superlative creation of the cornerstone collection that catapulted Lange's status as one of the most important watchmakers the world has seen?

Lot 2830: A F.P.Journe Tourbillon Souverain with a Rare Dial

To say F.P. Journe watches are a sight to behold is to say nothing at all. Ever since its founding in 1999, F.P. Journe (both the man and the business) have been responsible for some of the most whimsical, mesmerising wristwatches the market has ever seen. And one of its most successful models would be the Tourbillon Souverain, a tourbillon watch that doesn't look like anything else you've come across. The exquisitely handmade Tourbillon Souverain features (of course) a tourbillon - proudly on display at 9 o'clock - and also two other rare complications: the remontoir d'egalité (providing constant force to the escapement for more accurate timekeeping) and the deadbeat second (meaning the second hand "jumps" every second at one-second interval), shown in the sub-dial at 6 o'clock. What makes this very specimen even more interesting is its iridescent red dial which shimmers in the light, a special feature only found in a limited run. Estimate for this superb 40mm F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain is HKD600,000 - 900,000.

Well, we can't really talk about a watch auction without assessing what Pateks it has curated, right? Here we have a super rare Ref. 5959P on offer, a 33mm (only!) monopusher split second chronograph in platinum, featuring the fully in-house, Calibre 27-525 PS and a white lacquer dial with black Breguet numerals. Introduced in 2005, what we like about it is the coexistence of a very refined, elegant aesthetics, not least showcased in the form of the extended lugs AND arguably the most vibrant and action-oriented complication ever (and it's done as a monopusher, which only adds to the intrigue of the watch), the split second chronograph. At 33mm you could go about your daily wearing it and chances are people won't even notice you're wearing something so very valuable and interesting. And that's pretty awesome. One of the rarest modern Pateks, the estimated production volume of Ref. 5959s is only a few dozens. In a world where the case size of new watches is getting a little out of hand, the Ref. 5959P serves as a perfect reminder why Patek is still the kind of elegant watches. Estimate is HKD1,280,000 - 2,080,000.

For complete details for the auction and all the remaining lots, go here.